"S" Lightweight

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With the information that is on there...who it was shipped to, at least for now we should leave things be....maybe try on another letter down the road. Because if Ruger is giving shipping information (who it was shipped to) that is such a plus in all these years of Ruger letters!
I just have other concerns with the gun. For one, its not in J.D.'s list. And for another, my notes show a previous owner that such a gun (without a proper letter "saying what it really is and when it was really shipped") was once owned by a questionable Ruger collector of old (California).
So whoever purchased, I really need to give that info to them so they can hopefully do some better research.
And it still isn't an "S" gun shipped in 1956.
There probably is a way to prove one way or the other, but need to converse with the new owner.
Chet15
 
I talk to him today, he told me it letters as an S gun, she admitted the two prior letters where wrong. It's not and X gun, .....or an rss5x....but said it shipped 1956, we know that's wrong. I'm thinking it was sent back, and that's when the S got put on it.

Chad, I'll pm you his number if you like....scott
 
WAY TOO MUCH MONEY :!: FOR WHAT "APPEARED TO BE THERE". (flags!) Commented on this offering when it was discussed in the Lightwt section of this classification. Gotta have the texts, ask questions and do not accept all that is there as original .........Consider: cylinder, GF, panels, peened rear sight, erroneous letters, "whose "S"?. This could be a firearms collectable class case study.........And, ONCE AGAIN, who the hell is the questionable person on the west coast? Same guy who faked all the ivory and stag XR3 grip panels? More here than "just sayin' " SPLITZ
PS.. :wink: ....part of our responsibilities to one another is to advise and look out for our Brethren. If you do not understand that, tell me :roll:
 
Amen Mike, I questioned how dark the barrel finish is, to me it was 'redone" as to the 'steel parts......
AND the boogered rear sight and the later grip frame?, and on and on.......
caveat emptor baby................
 
.

The factory letter's content on that gun's provenance disappoints me, stating it was made in 1956, AND in .22LR/.22WMR - 3 years before the introduction of the .22WMR and at least 5 years prior to any Ruger Single-Six convertibles.

.
 
It letters as an "S" gun, .......all other letters and info was wrong. It's within the range of other S guns....so....it is what it is. (There's always the Ruger folks trying to save face, they admitted the first two letters where wrong) I have several Ruger letters that are big mistakes. One says I have a 1961 1022, but they came out in 1964. Clearly they mixed it up with a Deerstalker. I also have a 1022 early checkered gun with two letters, one sets it's just a carbine, the other says it a hand checkered sporter finger groove. No faith in the letters theses days......Scott
 
One thing I worry about...it seems when we complain to the factory about the info that is in their letters, every once in a while they get rid of something else.
Just hope a letter like that isn't setting us up for failure, because I am not sure what they are looking at myself.
Do we complain...or should we be happy with what we get and try another letter on that gun down the road????
Chet15
 
Agreed, that's why I let the 1956 thing go....know the XR-3 came later. But why pick a fight when they already admitted the first two letters where wrong. I did not want to burn that bridge....Scott
 
When it comes to letters and record keeping and history .... Ruger ain't no Smith and Wesson. Of course, the letters aren't $75.00 either.

I bet there's darn few Ruger collectors who'd shell out close to $100 bucks and a 6 week wait for a Ruger letter. Lord knows there's no money in nostalgia for the mother ship either.

Me? I'm grateful to just get what we can get.

If someone has a better idea of how to handle these things or to sell Management on the idea of throwing resources at it ......let's hear it.
 
The problem I see with the letters is that unless you REALLY know the gun they could tell the average guy almost anything and it, to many, would be gospel. I have a letter on one of my Bearcats that said it was shipped in 1953. Most here would know that is incorrect but some others out there may not.
 
If you revisit some recent threads on the matter, you will see that Ruger has been approached by serious folks attempting to address this, and the answer has been, unfortunately, "not interested".
 
Ruger Corp from day one, starting from the old man on down never care about collector's. There company game plan was to make "sound and rugged" firearms to the "masses". Even the "subscription program" to the friends and elites crowd was to spread the word to the masses. And yes now that, sadly is no more. Scott
 
HAWKEYE#28 said:
WAY TOO MUCH MONEY :!:
PS.. :wink: ....part of our responsibilities to one another is to advise and look out for our Brethren. If you do not understand that, tell me :roll:
Click to expand...

That's right...but gotta know its coming up for sale before the comments can be made.
I didn't see the email from the new owner until after the sale took place.
California.....Paul Christensen.
I've had a comment on my notes beside this serial number for about 30 years, which says "Fake by Christensen", so I'm assuming nobody could get a letter on it back then either.
I think the one thing everybody should be wary of is that there were sensational claims about this gun that could not be correct, as described in the factory letter, but one might not know that without reading the books first.
Next, it doesn't show up in JD's list.
I've been in contact with the new owner, so I'll see if there's a way to tell whether this gun is right or not.
Everybody hold tight.
If it turns out to be wrong...then lesson learned, we've probably all been there.
If it is correct then there may be another group of factory "second" Lightweights that were previously unknown.
Chet15
 
HAWKEYE#28 said:
....part of our responsibilities to one another is to advise and look out for our Brethren. If you do not understand that, tell me :roll:
Click to expand...

Agree completely. Just have to be careful about questioning details on things advertised for sale in our Classifieds. It's usually frowned upon, but sometimes things need to be mentioned. Touchy matter, this.

:?
 
Well COLT charges $75 for a revolver, $100 for a pistol, and I think $100 for a SAA unless they discover something KOOL like factory engraved or it belonged to someone famous then they have an up charge.....the letters take 90 days minimum and for only $ 100 extra you can get the letter expedited....

Sometimes the letters are great other times they just say shipped to Joes hardware...but at least they do say where they went and when shipped along with the original finish and configuration...

To tell the truth I don't have $75 dollars to spend on every RUGER(or COLT) I own but on the KOOL ones that would seem cheap.....

My thoughts on this gun are the ship date could be correct if it was faked....how hard is it to stamp an S swap a cylinder and add an XR-3RED frame...makes a $750 gun worth $2750 an unfortunate situation....this guys IVORY STOCKS are more correct than those from the factory.....he was quite talented.....RR
 
chet15 said:
I've been in contact with the new owner, so I'll see if there's a way to tell whether this gun is right or not.
Click to expand...

Out of curiosity, what can the new owner offer up as documentation/provenance that will establish the gun's bonafides . . . to our satisfaction? Even if the "S" can somehow be positively documented, the rest of the gun is "wrong" on several points.

:?:
 
rugerguy said:
Amen Mike, I questioned how dark the barrel finish is, to me it was 'redone" as to the 'steel parts......
AND the boogered rear sight and the later grip frame?, and on and on.......
caveat emptor baby................
Click to expand...

ANOTHER THING 8) Isn't there a set screw under the rear sight on the Light Weights that has to be loosened to allow the drift adjustment of the sight blade? So, wth is with that peening? :?:
 
Ale-8(1) said:
HAWKEYE#28 said:
....part of our responsibilities to one another is to advise and look out for our Brethren. If you do not understand that, tell me :roll:
Click to expand...

Agree completely. Just have to be careful about questioning details on things advertised for sale in our Classifieds. It's usually frowned upon, but sometimes things need to be mentioned. Touchy matter, this.

:?
Click to expand...

It is a touchy matter, but there are also fakes out there. Some guys have spent a lot of $ on fakes. I have mentioned that to them (and these are big time collectors!) and they get all bristly on me, usually saying "You don't know how they made guns back then".
It isn't about how they made guns back then....it is all about how they look now.
Some day those guns will be sold again as well. You guys need to raise the alert to them.
If it wasn't for the research done, we might still be looking for that rare Red Eagle Single-Six.
Chet15
 
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